Witness: Disaster in Japan - The Great East Japan Earthquake

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Witness: Disaster in JapanThe Great East Japan Earthquake

The
2011 earthquake known as the Great East Japan Earthquake was a
magnitude 9.0 Mw earthquake that occured on March 11th, 2011.

It was the most powerful known earthquake to have hit
Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world
overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900.

The world watched in horror on March 11, 2011, as the fourth largest
earthquake ever recorded crippled Japan and triggered a massive tsunami
that swallowed entire communities, leaving an unprecedented catastrophe
in its wake.

All the while, amateur videographers, news crews, tourists
and countless others were recording the sights and sounds of the
unfolding chaos.

From the producers of the critically acclaimed special
Witness Katrina, NGC presents a powerful look at Japan's disaster.

The 2011 earthquake off the Pacific coast of Tohoku, was a magnitude 9.0 (Mw) undersea megathrust earthquake off the coast of Japan that occurred at 14:46 JST (05:46 UTC) on Friday, 11 March 2011.

The epicenter was approximately 70 kilometres (43 miles) east of the Oshika Peninsula of Tōhoku and the hypocenter at an underwater depth of approximately 32 km (20 miles).

It was the most powerful known earthquake to have hit Japan, and one of the five most powerful earthquakes in the world overall since modern record-keeping began in 1900.

It was so powerful the island of Honshu was moved 8 feet eastward.

The earthquake triggered extremely destructive tsunami waves of up to 40.5 metres (133 ft) in Miyako, Iwate, Tōhoku. In some cases traveling up to 10 km (6 miles) inland.

In addition to loss of life and destruction of infrastructure, the tsunami caused a number of nuclear accidents, primarily the ongoing level 7 meltdowns at three reactors in the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant complex, and the associated evacuation zones affecting hundreds of thousands of residents.

Japanese Prime Minister Naoto Kan said, "In the 65 years after the end of World War II, this is the toughest and the most difficult crisis for Japan."

The Japanese National Police Agency has confirmed 15,641 deaths, 5,699 injured, and 5,007 people missing across eighteen prefectures, as well as over 125,000 buildings damaged or destroyed.

The earthquake and tsunami caused extensive and severe structural damage in Japan, including heavy damage to roads and railways as well as fires in many areas, and a dam collapse. Around 4.4 million households in northeastern Japan were left without electricity and 1.5 million without water.

Many electrical generators were taken down, and at least three nuclear reactors suffered explosions due to hydrogen gas that had built up within their outer containment buildings after cooling system failure.

Residents within a 20 km (12 mi) radius of the Fukushima I Nuclear Power Plant and a 10 km (6.2 mi) radius of the Fukushima II Nuclear Power Plant were evacuated.

In addition, the U.S. recommended that its citizens evacuate up to 80 km (50 mi) of the plant.

Early estimates placed insured losses from the earthquake alone at US$14.5 to $34.6 billion. The Bank of Japan offered ¥15 trillion (US$183 billion) to the banking system on 14 March in an effort to normalize market conditions.

The overall cost could exceed US$300 billion, making it the most expensive natural disaster on record. The earthquake moved Honshu 2.4 m (8 ft) east and shifted the Earth on its axis by estimates of between 10 cm (4 in) and 25 cm (10 in).